While all fatal auto accidents are tragic, they are especially tragic when the driver is drinking and has previous OWI convictions. This was the case in a recent crash that killed an 80-year-old man and injured his 81-year-old female passenger. The driver responsible for that accident was cited for drunk driving for the second time.

The accident occurred in Nekimi, a town in Winnebago County, and involved a 57-year-old driver who collided with another vehicle driven by the victim. The victim died and his passenger was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The driver who caused the accident was also treated for minor injuries at a local hospital.

The at-fault driver received a citation for second-offense OWI. Authorities are awaiting the results of toxicology reports and the findings of an accident reconstruction team to determine if there will be other charges against the suspect. Accident reconstruction experts are at work on the scene to determine the exact sequence of events leading up to the crash.

When someone is killed in an auto accident, the family may be able to collect damages from a wrongful death lawsuit. Injured victims may also be able to recover payments for medical treatments, including long-term therapy, mental anguish or pain and suffering, loss of wages and other expenses associated with these injuries. A personal injury attorney is often invaluable in advising the victims or family members of their rights in these situations and in calculating a target settlement amount for damages. By giving the victims or family members this information, personal injury lawyers ensure that they are well-informed about how much they should recover from the at-fault party.

Source: Green Bay Press Gazette, “Oshkosh man cited for 2nd OWI after fatal accident,” Dec. 17, 2012